by Linsey Hall
At least we had a plan. We just needed to stop Ivan in time. I knelt by the objects and picked up a stone, hoping for information.
The Devil lowered himself to my side. “Do you need help?”
I remembered his touch at the bar, helping me control my magic. It had sent heat shivering through me, along with the sense of his inherent goodness.
Had that been my imagination? Wishful thinking?
Or had he partially reformed?
I shook my head. “Don’t touch me.”
If I really needed the help, I’d ask him. For now, I’d try on my own. I needed to keep my distance.
The stone was a transport charm. Somehow, I could feel it in the magic. There were two others, identical, but they provided no interesting information. “I’m keeping these.”
The Devil nodded.
It was a small metal card that made me hesitate. I could sense the information in it, as if it might have belonged to someone important.
Maybe even Ivan.
I closed my eyes and focused my magic, gripping the card so tightly that it cut into my hands hard enough to hurt. I called on the magic inside me, remembering how I’d felt it deep in my soul.
The Devil’s magic had helped me summon my powers. I tried to remember that feeling of connection as well and use it to my advantage.
The power burst out of me like water through a dam. My mind was filled with images, so many images that my vision dimmed. I dragged in a breath.
Find me information about the bombing.
That was my priority. Stopping the destruction of my new home.
As if on command, the visions swirled and narrowed to one—a small stone door with a symbol carved into it. I forced my vision outward, and it complied.
Shock and elation rushed through me at my new control. I’d never been this powerful before.
I saw multiple small stone doors, a crypt of some kind. But it was the one with the symbol on it that drew my attention, a twisted spiral with points, a unique design that throbbed with magic.
In my mind, I drew closer. The vision was so clear that it felt like I was there. But that was impossible.
I neared the symbol. Reaching out, I touched the stone.
My fingers made contact, and an enormous force blasted me backward. The shock sent waves of pain ripping through me, and I blacked out.
9
The Devil
I watched Carrow work, her eyes closed and her fingertips resting on the small metal card. Her magic pulsed on the air, flaring bright. The scent of lavender filled the room, followed by the sweet taste of oranges.
Stunned, I stilled. She was more powerful than ever. Massively so.
Something was changing in her. Something with her magic.
Pain twisted her face, and she slumped over, unconscious.
Fear rocketed through me, and I lunged for her, grabbing her before her head hit the hard floor.
“Carrow.” I took her in my arms and brushed her hair away from her face. “Come on, Carrow.”
Would I need to heal her?
I shuddered at the idea of her lips on my skin again.
Could I?
This wasn’t a dagger wound or a broken bone. I had no idea how to deal with this.
Her eyes fluttered open, confusion flashing in their beautiful depths.
“What happened?” her voice was weak. Exhausted.
“Your power increased. I don’t know how. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What?” Her eyes blurred. “I’m so…tired.”
Her eyes closed, and she fell asleep. I pressed my hand to her upper chest, wanting to feel her heartbeat. Her breathing came heavy and deep.
Asleep, not dead.
Exhausted by the extreme power that had blasted through her. I studied her face, looking for any sign of discomfort as my heart slowed.
She was all right.
I repeated it to myself like a mantra. The fear that had surged in me diminished, and I leaned back on my heels, cradling her to me.
She needed sleep.
I stood and carried her to the bed. Carefully, I laid her on the mattress and pulled the covers up over her. Rubbing my chest at the strange sensation within, I rose and stared down at her.
What was happening to her?
What was happening to me?
A cold breeze drifted over me, and I turned, spotting the window that the attacker had opened.
This would not do.
I stalked over, pulled it shut, and locked it. The rooms should have been secured—that was one of the perks of this hotel. Once the locks were thrown on the doors and windows, no one could enter.
But this one had been unlocked.
I should have checked when I’d first come in, but I’d seen Carrow’s wound, and then I’d had to heal her. And then…
The memory of her touch…her taste…nearly stole my mind again. I’d never felt anything like it.
And then she’d learned of my past…the whole awful, bloody lot of it. I’d reached too high when I’d reached for her. She was the first I’d wanted in centuries—the first that I’d ever wanted like this—and it could never be.
I went from room to room, checking all windows and doors. The rest were fine, but how the hell had that one been unlocked?
Did Ivan have contacts here?
Unlikely. This place and my fondness for it had developed after his time. He shouldn’t know of it.
But I also couldn’t be certain of the date he’d risen from the crypt at the bottom of the sea. Perhaps he’d been watching me for longer than I’d realized.
My gaze flashed to Carrow, who lay still, asleep and recovering.
He could never know about her.
He’d want her for her power as surely as I did.
Yet I wanted her for far more than that. The way she made me feel….
Alive.
Thawed.
Just like the Oracle had said. The Prophecy that I’d long believed was bullshit could be true. But what did it mean? Where did it go from here?
I walked toward Carrow, confusion racing through me.
She’d given me my senses back, a taste of life. But at what cost?
If there was one thing I’d learned in my long life, it was that everything had a price. Every sunny day was paid for with rain, every moment of joy with one of grief.
It was balance.
I spun away from her and strode to the other side of the room, speaking quietly into the comms charm at my wrist. “Miranda? Get the Oracle. Send her to me at the Crescent Hotel.”
“Yes, sir. Though I can’t guarantee she’ll see you.”
Miranda had a point. The Oracle was notorious for disappearing and not showing up to meetings. But she’d been so interested in Carrow and me that I had a feeling she might make an exception. “Just try.”
“On it.”
“Oh, and Miranda? How did the Council take the news of the possible explosion?”
“Some believed, some didn’t. Witches are with you, sorcerers are not. Each guild is handling it for themselves.”
“Keep working on them.”
“Will do. Good luck.”
I disconnected the comms and turned to watch Carrow.
A few minutes later, there was a brief knock on the door in the adjoining suite. I strode toward it, leaving the door to Carrow’s suite open so that I could hear if she stirred.
I found the ephemeral figure of the Oracle on the threshold. Her face flickered from old to young, and she gave me a knowing smile.
“Finally interested in knowing more?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“So you’ve decided it’s not just bollocks, then?”
I shrugged, remembering how I’d initially written off her assertion that Carrow would thaw me and cure my immortality. “I’d like to know more.”
“Hmm.” She sauntered in. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
I moved toward the middle of the room, where I co
uld keep an eye on Carrow. “Speak quietly, please. Carrow is sleeping.”
The Oracle’s brows shot up. “My, my. You make quick work of things.”
“It’s not what you think. And I thought you were omniscient.”
“No one is omniscient, and I don’t make a point of spying on people’s sex lives.”
“That’s big of you.”
“I’m a saint.”
“Tell me about this thawing and immortality situation with Carrow. What does it mean? How does it happen?”
“That, I do not know.”
“What do you know?”
“She’s your Cursed Mate.”
Cursed Mate.
A memory flickered of long ago. I’d been toward the end of my bloodlust, still a murderous bastard but at least partially in control of my mind and body. Dread unfurled within me. “I thought that was a myth.”
“Perhaps it is.” She shrugged. “But likely not.”
“What is it?”
“Depends on the mates. As you know, born vampires have fated mates. Turned vampires are said to have Cursed Mates. Few turned vampires survive long enough to find their mates, so little is known about them.”
“It sounds bad.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” She raised a brow. “I think it’s a mystery you’ll have to solve.”
“You can’t help? You’re the Oracle, for fates’ sake! You should be able to see these things.”
“I will look for you, but I cannot promise what I will see.”
“You seem to be able to see what suits you.”
“And that’s fortunate for me.”
“I’ll pay you whatever you want.” Cursed Mates.
It had to be bad. Deadly, even.
What had felt like a gift with Carrow—her blood returning my full senses and the connection I felt to her—was possibly a nightmare.
Given the way my life had gone, it likely was a nightmare. I hurt everything I touched. It was no surprise that I would have a Cursed Mate and hurt her, too.
I dragged a hand over my face, waiting for the Oracle to name her price. “Well?”
“I’ll let you know if I come up with something. Then I’ll charge you.”
“Fine. Thank you.” I nodded sharply, waiting for her to leave.
She vanished. I turned to Carrow’s room, frustration pulsing through me. One of the most powerful oracles in the world had just delivered opened-ended terrible news, then disappeared. I’d have to find out more about this Cursed Mate situation, but not tonight.
Tonight, I needed to watch over Carrow.
I walked toward the bed and took a seat in the chair next to it, leaning back to guard her.
Carrow
Groggy, I shifted within a cocoon of soft sheets, blinking against the shaft of sunlight that shone across my eyes. I opened them, my vision clearing. The Devil was seated in a chair near the bed, watching me wearily.
Affection rushed through me.
“How do you feel?” His voice was slightly rough.
“Fine. What are you doing there?”
“Sitting.”
“Weird.” I sat up, my head spinning at the movement.
Memories rushed back. Last night, my vision, his tattoo. His secrets.
The affection vanished, and I shifted away from the Devil, glaring at him. “Why did you sit there all night?”
He shrugged. “You needed sleep, and I didn’t think we should let down our guard.”
“Oh.” That was…nice.
I ignored it. I didn’t know how to process nice right now. Especially not from him. Not when there was so much happening.
I pulled the bathrobe closer around me. “My vision was different.”
“I could tell.”
“How?”
“You passed out. And your magic surged like I’ve never felt. Something about it is changing.”
I nodded. “I could control it. Zoom around inside the vision like I was controlling a video game. It was…wild.”
“It’s not greater control, Carrow. I could feel your power growing. Your capacity for it.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be finite? Every supernatural is born with a certain amount of power, and they learn to control it, for better or worse?”
“Normally, yes. You’re different.”
Huh. I was a weirdo even here, in the magical world. “Is that why the Council of Guilds was so hard on me?”
“It’s probably why the ceremony couldn’t place you in a guild, yes. It didn’t recognize what you were.”
“What I am? I read objects.”
“Which possibly makes you a seer. Or not. It’s a strange talent, not a normal seer gift.”
“Crap.” I needed to get to the bottom of that, but we had more important matters to deal with. “My vision showed a tomb. A crypt or mausoleum, I’m not sure. And there was a symbol on it. A spiral with points.”
He reached for the bedside table and picked up the paper and pen that was ubiquitous in such places, apparently even in magical hotels. He passed them to me.
I took them and set about drawing the symbol. When it was as good as I could get it, I showed it to him.
He frowned and took it, studying it intently. “I don’t recognize it.”
“Neither do I.” I looked toward the table on the other side of the room, where I’d put my mobile when I’d undressed. The gown had contained a special pocket for it. Hopefully, the battery would still have a charge. “I’m going to text a picture to Mac. Maybe she can figure it out.”
He retrieved the phone and handed it to me. Quickly, I snapped a pic of the symbol and sent it to Mac. The Devil took the paper and did the same, then he pressed a finger to the comms charm on his wrist and spoke into it, telling Miranda to get started on research.
“You use a phone and a comms charm?” I asked.
He nodded. “The comms charm is easier for certain people, but only a couple are hooked up to this one. And there’s no easy magical way to send a picture unless you’re a sorcerer or a mage. Humans have got that one on us.”
I nodded, searching my mind for memories of the vision. “I think that symbol is meant to play a role in the explosion. When I was seeking information about what the intruder was after, it showed me that. I think he may have been part of the team that was sent there, until he was rerouted here, to attack us.”
“Do you know where the symbol is located?”
“Not precisely, no. But I did get the sense that it was in or near Guild City.”
He nodded. “That will make it easier for Miranda to find it. You said it was a crypt? Could it be inside a church?”
“Maybe. Or a mausoleum or other burial chamber. I don’t know what you supernaturals do with your dead.” I winced as soon as the word came out of my mouth, reminded of the necromancer.
“You’re one of us now.”
“Right.” I was grateful for the distraction. “But I still don’t know what happens to dead people in Guild City. Are there a lot of crypts?”
“There are some. Graveyards, too. Churches. It’s not terribly dissimilar from what humans do.”
“All right.” I climbed out of bed. “We need to find that crypt.”
My phone dinged, and I looked down to find a message from Mac.
Will get right on it. Text me when you’re back.
I responded that I would, then looked at the Devil. “I’m going to get a quick shower, then let’s head back to Guild city. We only have two nights left to stop this.”
He nodded. I left him, managing not to look over my shoulder.
I made quick work of the shower, thought I desperately wanted to linger. I’d never been in such a nice one—the one in my old London flat had been terrible, and the one in my new place was fine, but tiny and fitted into an ancient building.
This was pure luxury, and I had to race through it.
By the time I returned to my room, I found a set of clothes laid out on the bed. They looked like my norm
al clothes, but they weren’t. I frowned at them and shouted toward the Devil’s room, “These aren’t my clothes!”
“They are now.”
“How?”
“I had them delivered.”
Hmm. Thoughtful. I dressed quickly and gathered up my discarded gown and shoes. The magic in them might be mostly used up, but it was still a hot dress. I could wear it to the next Witches’ Masquerade. Anyway, I’d never had anything quite so nice before, and I wasn’t about to give it up.
I checked my phone and found a message from Mac.
Meet us at the Haunted Hound. Eve may have something.
I found the Devil in his room, dressed in all-black tactical wear, not dissimilar to what his security detail wore. Which reminded me…
“Why didn’t we bring your security yesterday?”
“It was supposed to look like a date. I didn’t want to trigger the guards before we got our information.”
“And your new look?” Which, I hated to admit, suited him pretty damned well.
“I have a feeling things are about to get a lot more active. Better to be prepared.”
“Hmm. Ready?”
He nodded and held out his hand. I strode over to him and gripped it, unable to help the shiver that ran through me. I still wanted him. I didn’t trust him, but I couldn’t help my physical awareness of him. The connection that drew us together like a wire.
Cursed Mates.
I shoved the thought away. I’d figure out exactly what that meant later.
“Let’s go to the Haunted Hound Pub. Mac told me that Eve might know something,” I said.
“All right.” The Devil drew a transport charm from his pocket and threw it to the ground. The silver smoke poofed up, and I followed him inside, growing more used to the pull of the ether.
10
Carrow
The ether spat us out in Guild City at the gate leading to the Haunted Hound.
“Is there a reason that your friends prefer to meet in the middle ground between Guild City and the human one? Why not here?”
I shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe they’re just oddballs.”
Like me. Maybe that was why we got along. None of them were heavily involved with their guilds. Barely involved, in fact. Members in name only, for the most part. I knew they went to the required meetings, but they preferred to live on their own in the flats over the kebab place.